The Board, having carefully considered three potential management contractors, are pleased to announce it has decided to renew the contract with the YMCA LSW. The Board and the YMCA LSW have worked well together within a partnership approach since 2007 and the pool has seen significant improvements in usage, continuity of management and infrastructure. We look forward to an exciting new chapter in the relationship as we work together to develop the business of Hampton Pool. This means that we can progress the building project that came out of the HPT 5 Year Strategic Plan of 2011.

The Y has introduced HPT to Wimshurst Partners, an architectural practice who have put together a series of concept sketches which can be viewed here. The Trust is planning to start the first stage of the project by 2015.

At this year's AGM, Carrie Lees presented a series of resolutions for consideration that Marshall had been working on before he died. All resolutions were passed which now leaves them for consideration by the Board of Trustees.

The full document of resolutions is available to read here. If you have any comments, please contact us at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
.

We are very sad to announce that Marshall Lees died on Sunday 19 January after a brief illness.

Marshall was the project founder of Hampton Pool as a community run venture. It all started in 1983 when he became the prime mover and leader of the Sink or Swim campaign to have Hampton Pool (closed by the Council in 1981) re-opened. By late 1984 some £60,000 had been raised and the Council agreed to transfer the licence to operate the site to the community venture. Hampton Pool Ltd (now Hampton Pool Trust Ltd) was set up and by the summer of 1985 the refurbished and - for the first time - heated pool was re-opened.

It’s January 2014, it’s Hampton Pool Summer Picnic Concerts again. Actually, the team have been working on the concerts for July 2014 since September – yes we did take a bit of a holiday in August. We’ve been looking at everything, including: the staging, sound, lights and backstage; the bar and how it works; catering, toilets, everything.

The dates are set – 11, 12, 18, 19, 25, 26 July 2014 – pencil them in your diary now

Currently the focus is on booking the line-up. We try to ensure that we’ve seen every artist that we book to ensure, as best we can, that they will delight everyone who comes to see them.

And you help us select the artists, too…

As those of you who have taken part in our online survey into the concerts will know, we ask concert goers which bands they would like to see at future concerts, what they thought of the bands at this year’s concerts and, of all of those who have performed before, which they would like to see again.

In 2011 the Board published its strategic vision for the pool which identified three strategic themes: enhanced facilities and programmes, excellence in customer service and governance, inspirational sustainability.

Taking into account the HPT strategic vision published in 2011 and the views expressed by members, customers and the wider community through two public open forums and an electronic survey in 2013 , the Board has decided on a plan that will incorporate all the benefits sought by customers, staff and members – improved gym, fitness studio, reception, café facilities, staff facilities, changing facilities, car park, social access. These improvements would be delivered through an envelope of development which would be located at the west end of the site to minimize reduction in the car park. It was agreed that every effort should be made to minimise the disruption of the pool's facilities and day to day running and that disruption would be minimised if a new build was undertaken first. The additional space created by a new build would facilitate the remodelling, repurposing and extension of the existing building with the minimum of disruption. The aim is to fund the development of the entire envelope or if this is not possible to identify discrete chunks that can be funded sequentially.

Inspirational sustainability is at the heart of HPT’s vision for the future of Hampton Pool and so renewable energy is a key element of the development plan. The board propose that geothermal with underground pipe or bore hole technologies should be considered as the main source of energy. Combined Solar Voltaic and Solar Thermal Heating panels should also be considered and incorporated where appropriate. The Board is also committed to ensuring that any new car park surface should be environmentally sound and both wheelchair and bicycle friendly and that all new build materials should minimise embedded carbon.

The current building plan is to start with the new build at the west end to create a larger gym and studio with additional locker space. This would provide space for socially inclusive gym equipment and generate higher revenues. The existing studio could become a multi-function space – spin cycle studio, meeting room, courses room, club room. The existing gym could be repurposed as a multi-functional space, children’s activity area, change area, staff area.

The new build will join and extend past the existing main building to the proposed new northern building line. The purposing of this space is subject to professional footfall and flow analysis. As an example it could provide: reception - new, larger, withshop - new, larger, plusoffices and storage. The knock on effect of this would be to free the existing reception area for redevelopment.

The third element of the building pan is to extend, refurbish and repurpose the west end of the main building to extend towards the car park from current reception, to redesign and extend the café, to add a lift, to complete and repurpose the centre of the ground floor to provide revised, larger male and female changing rooms, more and improved toilet facilities, new, larger staff room, Spa and storage.

The next stages in the process are to produce and approve revised drawings and to get budgetary costing. The Board will review and confirm direction and decide on funding options. This could mean agreeing a new management contract. The Board also need to renew the licence with the Royal Parks and gain their approval and get planning permission from LBRuT. The aim is to select an architect by 1st April 2014 on basis of an outline concept of the full scheme. With the design and funding for Stage 1 in place we should be able to move towards commencing build in November 2014.

Whilst progress is being made on the building plans it is proposed to implement relatively low cost improvements to our catering facilities. At the east end by the learner pool the kiosk is to become a coffee shop with tables and chairs. Shelter is to be provided with big, robust umbrellas. The Sun Deck Café is to be enhanced by creating a covered seating area, maybe with a fairly substantial gazebo with removable walls. The Trust will explore using the existing blind at full extension but always with supports, as designed, or a new supporting frame to provide more cover.